I know it probably won't last, but it is nice to see Barack Obama taking questions in a formal setting, even if he isn't President yet.

President Bush has not held a formal news conference since July, which is unfortunate, because it means that my colleagues and I are forced to rely on shouted questions at photo opportunities.

I learned a long time ago that those efforts mainly turn the viewer/listener against the press corps, because we look like idiotic morons half the time (see Donaldson, Sam, trying to get the attention of Reagan, Ronald, in the 1980s.)

Obama took some questions on Monday as he unveiled his economic team, which featured Timothy Geitner as Secretary Designate for the Treasury Department.

There weren't many details offered though on what Obama wants to get done in January in terms of an economic stimulus bill.

The figures rattling around on the front page of newspapers was maybe as much as $700 billion for a stimulus bill that Obama aides want on his desk on the afternoon of January 20th.

Maybe my colleagues can flesh that out a little more today in Chicago.

I actually thought today might be the day that President Bush would finally hold a real news conference, but he probably doesn't want to say anything that spooks the markets or gets Obama into some kind of rhetorical trouble.

But maybe he will do it on Wednesday after pardoning the Thanksgiving Turkey.

We'll see if we get more details today out of the President-Elect.  Talking in broad terms about things during the campaign was one thing.

Now it's getting close to the time where he has to spell things out.